Last year, I wrote a blog post dealing with the use of virtual reality resources
to support the instructional process. I started the article with an
explanation of the difference between virtual reality and augmented
reality, which I feel is important to include again since, this time,
the post will be about the use of augmented reality technology to
support teaching and learning. The Augment site includes a well-stated overview of the two technologies.

Augmented reality is a technology that
layers computer-generated enhancements on top of an existing reality in
order to make it more meaningful through the ability to interact with
it.

Virtual reality is an artificial,
computer-generated simulation or re-creation of a real life
environment…It immerses the users by making them feel like they are
experiencing the simulated reality firsthand, primarily by stimulating
their vision and hearing.

WHY AUGMENTED REALITY?

Touchstone Research
presents an infographic that showcases how various professions use AR
to support learning, access important information in real-time, and for
marketing purposes. With the wide-spread use of AR, our students should
be provided with the opportunity to become familiar with the the
technology and use it in the classroom.

HOW DOES AR WORK?

The basic use of AR requires a few things– a smartphone or tablet
with a back facing camera, an augmented reality app, and a trigger
image. An Internet connection is needed for real-time overlaying of
information. The triggers can be something as simple as a QR code, which
launches an AR event on the smartphone or tablet, or can be a special
printout or photographic images that is viewed through a specialized
app. The continued development of great new apps seems to indicate that
the use of the app to view a specialized trigger image may be the way
things are moving in the AR arena.One fun app that is popular in schools is Quiver (formerly ColAR Mix)
which uses a printed-out and colored-in page to present the student
with an interactive experience when viewed through the app. The Quiver Education app
(US iOS app store: $7.99 and available on the VPP), includes coloring
pages specifically designed for the education market including those for
cells, organs of the body, and a specialized set for celebrating “International Dot Day“.Here is a video demonstrating how this app works.

The EON Experience VR app (iOS and Android),
uses the target below to bring the hundreds of simulations included in
the app to life. Many simulations can be viewed using both AR and VR.
The users simply download the data for the simulation and, through the
app, points their smartphone at the target. The great thing about this
is the target can be used even from the computer screen!The trigger image for the EON Experience VR app

The trigger image for the EON Experience VR app

AR image of a synapse projected from the trigger image on the computer screen.Marketing agencies have taken to AR to the next level to allow the
user to layer furniture, paint, and much more over a live image of a
room. IKEA, Houzz, and Home Depot are only some of the many companies
using augmented reality to support consumers. Project Color, from Home
Depot allows you pick a paint or stain color and virtually paint your
home’s walls, as demonstrated in the video below.[Commercial] The Home Depot – Project Color App ‘Virtual Test Drive’AR is even used in real-time at this kiosk in a Lego store which
shows the customer the completed Lego project by simply holding up the
box of Legos to the mirror.

WHY USE AR IN THE CLASSOOM?

Adding interactivity to a classroom learning experience always
enhances student engagement. To be able to view and manipulate a object
being learned about can lead to deeper understanding and further
exploration and questions. Drew Minock, in an Edutopia article, outlines some ways augmented reality can support instruction. Here are a few of them.

Book Reviews: Students record themselves giving a
brief review of a novel that they just finished, and then attach that
“aura” (assigned digital information) to a book. Afterward, anyone can
scan the cover of the book and instantly access the review.

Word Walls: Students can record themselves
providing the definitions to different vocabulary words on a word wall.
Afterward, anyone can use the Aurasma app to make a peer pop up on
screen, telling them the definition and using the word in a sentence.

Lab Safety: Put triggers…all around a science
laboratory so, when students scan them, they can quickly learn the
different safety procedures and protocols for the lab equipment.

There are some great educational AR apps to support teaching and learning available.

Star Chart projects the night sky with all the constellations,
planets, and other facts while viewing the sky through a smartphone or
tablet. (iOS | Android | Windows)

In addition to students using an app to view material created by
others, by using an app called Aurasma, students and teachers are able
to create their own “auras” with links to information for others. (iOS | Android)Creators take a photo or create an image, which then serves as the AR
trigger, which in Aurasma is called an “aura”. Using the Aurasma app,
students or teachers link that aura to online content, which may be a
video, an image or photograph, or a Web site. When viewers use the
Aurasma app and scan over those auras, they are presented with the
online content in a floating window.If you have a subscription to Discovery Education Streaming, you can
create auras that showcase video clips from the collection and items
from the other multimedia collections including image and photos.
Students can also create an aura to share their projects which utilize
any of these same assets from Discovery Education Streaming.There are also some fun AR apps that allow the creation of
place-based AR pop-ups. Two that are easy to use for teachers and
students are Metaverse and Traces.
Users can create quests, descriptors for places, and much more. Imagine
the incoming freshman walking around the school and learning all about
the building, or a student creating an AR overview of the local
businesses as a service learning project. If you are familiar with
PokémonGo, you will realize how engaging these pop-ups would be for
students to create and share! Below is a place-based locator I
discovered at my local coffee shop!

Place-based locator

INTERESTING IDEAS

There are many other ways teachers and students are using augmented
reality in schools. Here are two creative examples that I discovered.Northwest High School has made the use of Aurasma an integral part of their school culture.

This educator provides a unique way to use Aurasma and Powerpoint to create interactive experiences.

There is also a new type of reality called “Mixed Reality” or simply
MR, which combines some of the aspects of both VR and AR. Dr. Simon
Taylor, the Co-founder of Zappar
which has created ZapBox, an MR solution, states “in MR, virtual
objects or environments are anchored to things in the real world
providing a new and intuitive way for users to interact with virtual
content”. This started as a Kickstarter project and is now available for
a very low cost. Watch the video below to get a feel for the exciting
new projects that are coming to schools soon!

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